Poppy - Empty Hands

Poppy's seventh album, 'Empty Hands', does not pause to introduce itself. There is no interest here in explanation, justification or genre credentials. From the outset, the record presents itself as immediate and emotionally charged, a release that sounds purposeful rather than performative.

Written largely in the gaps between touring commitments, 'Empty Hands' arrives just over a year after 'Negative Spaces'. Where its predecessor leaned into the scale of arena rock, this record feels driven by urgency rather than design. Poppy has described it as "riled up", a phrase that fits the album's direct approach. The songs move fast and rarely linger longer than they need to.

'Public Domain' opens with a jolt, all clipped aggression and impatience. 'Bruised Sky' follows by pushing the imagery further into end-of-days territory, while 'Guardian' goes bigger without grinding the song to a halt. Heaviness runs through all three, but it's never treated as the point.

Musically, 'Empty Hands' draws from a broad palette. Arena rock, hardcore, grunge and metal all surface across the tracklist, alongside electronic detail and pop structure. Working with Jordan Fish, Poppy uses contrast as a guiding principle. Dense, distorted passages give way to moments of melodic focus, and songs are shaped to allow hooks to cut through even at their most abrasive. The album never settles into a single mode. The singles provide clear entry points, but they do not define the record in full.